Guacomole and pita chips

OK...so if you have the nibbles, try this:

Take a bag of pitas, pull them all apart into two circles. Brush with olive oil and cut into eighths and bake on a sheet at 350 for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. You get golden, tasty, healthy pita chips for dipping. They burn quick, so keep an eye on them and remove from the pan as they're done...they'll bake up at different speeds, so I check the pan every few minutes.

(Image: Natalee Dee)
To go with the chips, you need to make some wicked guacamole:

Skoosh together well (I use my hand mixer):
3 avacados
1/4 c lime juice

Stir in:
1 roma tomato ,diced
1/2 c red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small jalapeno, minced (seeds removed)
1/4 c diced, pickled banana peppers
1/2 t pepper

Then do the following. Dip chip. Eat. Repeat.
This is the best guacamole I've ever tried. It tastes better if you can wait an hour and let the flavours all mix together...I can't always make it that long. I ususally just make it before I make the pita chips so it has a bit of time to sit and fuse.

Egg Nests

Want a quick, easy and delicious breakfast?
Do what I just did...make some egg nests.
For 1 person, take an english muffin, 2 slices of good black forest ham (shaved thinly), 2 eggs, 2t of cream and a pinch of basil. Basil and cream are the key - don't skip that part...
Heat the oven to 350 degrees, and line 2 slightly oiled muffin pan holes with the ham slices...like a muffin-paper of ham. Crack an egg into each of the ham-cups (mmmmm...hamcups), put a teaspoon of cream on top of each, with a pinch of basil and bake about 15 minutes until the whites are set, and the yolks are half set (or longer if you like hard yolks). Toast and butter your english muffin, set it open faced and place the 2 egg nests on top of the halves.
And...Enjoy.
Sounds simple, but the flavours work together to be absolutely delicious.
Perfect for a lazy weekend or holiday breakfast...

Feel Like Chicken Tonight?

Or beets, or carrots or figs?

Like many working class people, I usually cook an evening meal with the next days mid-day meal in mind. Boredom and revulsion with and toward ones own cooking can quickly ensue so there is a need to experiment and try new things regularly. Chicken, rice and roasted veggies. Sounds potentially boring, but the meal I made last night was quite exciting and was even more so today.

The essentials:
-Two chicken thighs. (skinless in my case)
- Chioggia beets (also known as candystripe or bull's eye beets) and eastern carrots. (purple, white, yellow and red in colour)
- 2 cups brown rice.

Put the vegetables and fresh chopped parsley in an oven pan and rub them in olive oil, dark balsamic vinegar along with black pepper/grains of paradise, a small amount of smoked paprika and halved dried figs. I set my oven for 375° and usually roast for at least 50 minutes. Your oven is probably different so adjust accordingly.
I took two cups of long grain brown rice and cooked it in 3 cups of water and tossed in about 2 1/2 tblsp of white balsamic vinegar and a pinch of course salt. Cook that until done and keep it separate.
As for the chicken, I sauteed two cloves of crushed garlic and 1/2 of a naga pepper together in a small bit of olive oil. I then sautee the chicken and add a marinade of this description:

- 1/8 of a cup of red wine (I have been drinking Malbecs from Argentina of late)
- 1/8 of a cup of dark balsamic vinegar
- 1/16 a cup of water (something like that, what the hell do I remember about fractions?)
- 1 tblsp of honey
- 1 tsp of Dutch cocoa (although I would use another variety of cocoa for the health benefits, as the Dutch process apparently destroys the antioxidants I was hoping for)

Shake this all up quite well and add to the pan once the chicken has been seared on both sides. How much you use is up to you, I used it all. I also sprinkled ground grains of paradise over top.
The sweetness of the roasted vegetables really compliments the robust, dry, hot flavour of the chicken and the generally neutral flavoured rice.

Stay tuned to this station for an important update

After consulting with the leaders of the world and my advisors (J and Magnus) I've figured out the new name for things around here. Thing is...I need a few days to tweak the logo and all that jazz...so come around and see the new digs in a while. I just need an hour or so of free time to do this...he heh...yeah...

What's in a name...

I've had many people tell me they think that the blog name Food Whore is a bit too...well...something. Enough people to make me think "hmmmm...perhaps the name has gone off and I should pick out a fresh one."
I wanted to put in words my desperate love of cooking and love of food.
Any suggestions for an alternate?
I can't call it the Bacon Queen, as my good friend Magnus is also cowriter here, and he is not the Bacon Queen (my nickname) and is decidedly straight, so that won't work.

I'm trying to think of another name...suggestions?
Possibly involving muffins....

Winner gets some.
Muffins!
Sheesh...

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

I am the Queen of Pancakes.
It is true…I've often thought of getting an apron printed up…I love pancakes. I always make them from scratch and I diddle with recipes until they are fluffy delicious perfection. Most of my favourite recipes for pancakes come from The Joy of Cooking…their regular pancake mix is great and there is a multigrain pancake with honey in it that is fluffy and delicious. How It All Vegan has a deadly banana pancake recipe too…but I digress…

I had leftover buttermilk from the derbies I had to use up, so I took out my trusty cooking bible and hunted for buttermilk pancakes…and found this recipe. Blueberry buttermilk cornmeal pancakes…with a touch of lemon. These are now my favourite pancakes…and that is saying something…they are fluffy, yet the cornmeal gives a slight crunch to them…and the slight lemon zing just puts it over the top into decadence. You almost don't need syrup for these…
Make them yourself this weekend. I know it looks daunting, what with all the egg separation and whisking but let me tell you…a better pancake you will not ever have. Not even my Grandma's were this good…and she's the one who got me started on this pancake obsession in the first place.
Enjoy…

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes
Joy of Cooking

Whisk together in a bowl:
1 c flour
½ c yellow cornmeal
¼ c sugar
1 ¼ t baking powder
¼ t baking soda
¼ t salt

Whisk together in another bowl:
1 ¼ c buttermilk
4 T melted butter (1/2 stick)
2 large egg yolks
1 ½ t finely grated lemon zest (about 1 small lemon)

Pour the wet over the dry and gently mix them together until just combined.
Beat the 2 egg whites until the peaks are stiff but not dry and then fold into the batter.
Finally, fold in 1 c blueberries.

Spoon ~1/3 batter onto a hot oiled griddle per pancake, nudging the batter into rounds. Flip when the top of the pancake is speckled with bubbles.
Serve with maple syrup if you have it.
You'll thank me for it... :)

Marinade

A quick post to jot down a marinade that I have been using on chicken and pork. (one piece each time) I take about 1/8 of a cup of water mixed with 1/8 of a cup of red wine (Malbec from Argentina in this case) and stir it in with 1/2 a teaspoon of course sea salt. After the the salt has dissolved enough, I add a tablespoon of honey and a somewhat heaping teaspoon of smoked paprika and two dashes of ground grains of paradise. In the pan I have lightly sauteed one or two crushed cloves of garlic and some variety of hot pepper - I currently have serrano, habanero, naga and a couple of chipoltles. (also see the Scoville Scale) I don't allow the heat from the peppers to overwhelm the dish, just give it some kick. I know how much hot pepper is enough for me and for the dish at hand, but I suggest you learn the way I did: experiment.

- Magnus